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Sanchez: Mike Perez might be another Golovkin at heavyweight

By Allan Fox: Trainer Abel Sanchez is very excited about his fighter heavyweight Mike Perez (20-0, 12 KO’s) following his 10 round unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Magomed Abdusalamov (18-1, 18 KO’s) last Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. Sanchez just started training the 6’0″, 235 lb. Perez not long ago, and he feels that he has the talent to be the heavyweight division’s version of Gennady Golovkin.

Having seen the 28-year-old Perez against Abdusalamov and in other bouts, I’m not sure that Perez has the kind of power needed to be another Golovkin at heavyweight. He doesn’t really look like a big puncher. Abdusalmov looked like the much superior slugger than Perez last Saturday. I realize that Abduslamov took a lot of punishment to the head in that fight, but I don’t think that’s because Perez is a huge puncher. I think it was more of a case of him getting hit so many times in the fight. Perez landed over 300 head shots. Abduslamov suffered a broken left hand in the 2nd round of their fight. It would have been interesting to see how Perez would have done had Abduslamov not suffered that injury.

I think if another heavyweight with arguably better power than Perez were to have hit Abduslamov that many times, it would have had similar results.

Sanchez told Fightnews “In three or four fights, we’re going to have another Gennady Golovkin at heavyweight.”

Perez is good enough to beat some of the top heavyweights, but I don’t think he would beat guys like David Haye, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Kubrat Pulev, Bryant Jennings, Bermane Stiverne, Odlanier Solis, and Chris Arreola. Deontay Wilder might also give Perez problems if he could stay on the outside for 12 rounds and use his jab. Perez has very limited reach and it’s necessary for his opponents to be close enough for him to land his shorter punches. He would have to talk down the top guys that he faces and take some really big shots while on the way in for him to be able to land his high volume shots. Perez doesn’t have the power to KO anyone with one shot. He needs someone to stand directly in front of him at close range the way that Abdusalamov was doing in order for him to find success. A smart fighter will analyze Perez’s win over Abdusalamov and figure out that to beat Perez, you needs to keep him far on the outside so that he’s not able to throw his nonstop punches.